The Lion's Side
by Dkmagby88
Summary: Rinoa is thirteen and at her last ends. Now she's been put in the care of a hitman for the organization named Squall. She soon starts learning the ways of a killer...and more. Squinoa.


A/N: Hey...i'm back with yet another story. Geez, welli said i'd deliver this month and i didn't lie. anyways, just to state this real quick...THIS IS NOT A PREQUEL TO KILL SQUALL. it's a complete, separate story on its own, though it almost seems like it could be. but anyways, i had a hard time coming up with a logic for this story, so if it kinda seems like it's getting a little impossible sounding, i'm sorry b/c it was hard to throw all these characters together and get the effect i wanted. oh and by the way, i wrote this story from being inspired by watching The Professional. one of my favorite movies. but it pretty much has a completely different story line, even though the idea is the same. so enjoy.

**Chapter I**

**Goodbye**

"You wanna tell me where you're going?" A sassy voice of the young, thirteen-year-old girl called from her tiny bedroom in the dark apartment.

A young, blonde woman quickly tied up her hair and shuffled through a mount of dirty clothes for a jacket to put on in this cold, winter weather.

"_Hello…_Are you even listening to me?" She whipped out to the woman who was really trying her hardest to ignore the stuck-up teen.

"Geez, be a bitch about it. If you got a hot date, you can just tell me. It's not like I've never seen you with a guy before. Or is it…" The girl sat up from the bed she was lying on. The white sheets had been thrown aside as she had laid there in her white, cotton panties and a white tank top. She was now perked up. Maybe it could've been what she thought it was. Now _that _would be exciting for a change.

"Just forget it. It has nothing to do with you so just back away from it." The woman coldly told her as she didn't even give her a glance. She just picked up a heavy black coat and slid it over her pink dress.

"Whatever…it's not like I really care. I'm just curious…that's all." The girl was smart. She quickly avoided a confrontation and quickly moved away from the subject…at least that was what was assumed.

"Good…now don't you have homework to do?" The woman finally looked at her with a somewhat responsible look. Almost motherly, but not quite.

"Ha! I quit school. Don't need it." The bratty teen smirked and laid back down on the bed.

"God dammit, Julia! How many times have I told you that you can't skip school!" The woman turned away to look for her purse now.

"Oh who cares!? It's not like I'm ever gonna amount to anything. Why can't I…"

"No! You _will _go to school. And you _will_ finish. I don't want you thinking that you're ever gonna be like me." The woman snapped at her.

"I don't see what the big deal is. I'd be good at it." Rinoa stepped out of her room over to the blonde woman to try and plead her way through this one. Though the chances of that were very unlikely. But Julia's hope didn't waver. "I swear to you, Quistis, I'd be good. Why can't you give me a chance?"

Quistis sighed. She saw how much Julia wanted this. At times, she even saw how Julia was made for this. But she couldn't allow it. What kind of guardian would she be if she let this girl get swept up into this world? That was almost sickening. But how much easier it would be to just let this girl do what she wanted.

"So…can I? Please." Julia grabbed onto her jacket and pulled herself in closer to amplify the effect. If Quistis refused this then there would never be any hope for Julia.

"Julia…" Quistis removed Julia's hands from her coat, "Grow up. I mean you think this is all fun and games, but the truth is that I go to sleep every night with a guilty conscious because of this job. I just keep thinking about all the people. Do you think you could handle all those people haunting you for the rest of your life? And what happens if that someday you have to do it to someone close to you? What would you do then? Would you go through with it and then laugh about it afterwards? Or would you chicken out and risk being hunted down yourself? It's not fun and games, Julia. It's serious. I've chosen my path because I was forced into it. But now I'm giving you that chance to choose."

Julia stepped back. Quistis was dead serious. But for some reason most of those words just fluttered right out of her mind. The repercussions what she might do never really mattered to her. She just wanted that power. The chance to play God.

"Anyways, I've got to go now. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Quistis gave her a quick hug as Julia somewhat just spaced out, "Please think about it. I won't stop you, but for God's sake, don't make the same mistake I did."

"Okay, Quistis. I'll think about it." She gave Quistis a quick peck on the cheek and retreated back into her room, wondering about it. Because now, she really could become what she always wanted to be. An assassin.

Quistis brushed back a tiny lock of her golden hair from across her face. She could still slightly see her breath appearing in front of her as she breathed quicker and quicker. The hallway was pretty much empty, as always. This run down apartment building was too old to house too many. It figured why _he_ liked it. The lighting flickered once in a while in its yellow ambiance. The plain, brownish-yellow wallpaper was worn and dirty. The green, wooden doors, some showcasing splintered wood from God knows how many years of torment. But at least Squall's was always kept nice. She figured he even scrubbed his door. He was too much of a neat freak. It kind of scared her. Especially since he was also so in his killing.

She knocked on the door twice, then paused, and then one more knock. There wasn't an answer, but she knew he was home. She put her ear up against the door. A slight melody sounded from the other side and she almost became entranced by it.

"Stupid idiot, always on that fucking piano. Won't even get up to answer the damn door." She pulled out her keys and slid one into the keyhole and proceeded in. She was lucky he didn't put the chain on or she'd never get in.

The room was completely dark. She stepped in carefully, closing the light from the hallway out by shutting the door. A small ounce of moonlight shone in from the blinds, almost ironic since Squall was playing "Moonlight Sonata." She walked in without care as she knew that there was a lot of open space in his apartment, and as so tidy as he was, there wouldn't be anything to trip over. She saw a figure in the shadows move gracefully back and forth as it harbored over the keys of the piano.

She paused for a second, and decided she might as well interrupt him because this song was way too long to wait it out for, "So, see you still have a Beethoven fetish."

He suddenly hit a few wrongs keys as he was shocked that someone got in without him noticing.

"Sorry to sneak up on you, but I didn't want to really disturb you." Quistis apologized.

The figure reached out and turned on a tiny lamp above the piano. It didn't do much to really illuminate the room, but it was enough to show the two. Squall sat at the keys with his white beater on and his suspenders fallen back over the bench like some New York gangster. His, heavy black pants were wrinkled as Quistis figured he'd been sitting there all day. His hair was thrown across his face as he cracked his knuckles to loosen them.

"I'm still amazed that you ever got this piano in here. I swear you have an obsession with it." She smiled faintly at him as he slowly returned it, but not for very long. His face fell once again and he decided to finally stand up from his bench.

"I'm glad you're here. I was afraid you wouldn't show." Squall ran a hand through his greasy, brown mop.

"Why…think I'm getting soft?" Quistis giggled.

"Isn't that what this is about?" Squall turned away.

"Look…just tell me what you want and I'll let you return to your playing. Just tell me who the target is and I'll get it done. No need for all this." Quistis began to fiddle with her hands. This wasn't normal. Squall was never this distant about work. He was afraid of something.

Squall didn't answer. He reached from underneath the upright piano and pulled out a solid black case. From there he flipped open the silver tabs and opened it up to its red velvet interior. There lay his beloved gunblade. He sighed and pulled the beast out, showcasing its gorgeous black revolver handle with the trademark lion's head hanging from it. The long, silver blade gleamed in the lamp light, reflecting Squall's long face. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a cloth and began to polish.

"Squall…answer me." Quistis gripped her hands together. This wasn't right.

"Quistis…it's about the girl. You know the code." Squall didn't look up at her. He wanted to keep his attention on the gunblade. Anything was better than looking into her beautiful blue eyes and seeing the sorrow in them.

"I was wondering when this would come up." She looked down, "I know I've been hiding this for some time, but I couldn't help it. What would _you_ have done? I couldn't help it. I just saw myself in her and couldn't leave her."

"I know. It's your motherly instinct kicking in. I guess no one can blame you for that. But, rules are rules. You can't do this without the organization finding out." Squall pretended like he found a tiny smudge and began to scrub hard. Just anything to make him look busy.

"Squall…I'm sorry. But she just means so much to me. I don't know what to do." Quistis' eyes began to water. Those radiant blue gems slowly filling with tears.

"Just…I don't know…do what you do best." Squall began to fluster. There was no way avoiding this. It was better from him than anyone else from the organization.

"I can't…there's no way. I won't." Quistis stood solid. Her determination slowly shining through her sadness.

"Then…you know what that means." Squall's voice began to squeak. This was too hard.

"I guess…it does. Then you?" Quistis touched her chest with her hand. It was better than from someone else.

"I guess I have no choice." Squall set down his gunblade finally and decided to actually look at her. He saw her beauty. How radiant and strong she was. But now she was just broken. A broken woman standing in the middle of his floor, crying, but not for mercy.

"Squall…at least…hold me once more." Quistis ran to him and fell to her knees. Her head in his lap as she let the tears loose. She didn't know if she was really sad for herself or for Julia. Or maybe it was even for Squall. His hand reached out to pat her head, but it struggled. Was it this hard to touch someone he loved?

"Quistis…is there anything?" He held back his tears. He couldn't cry for her. How would he feel if he about doing his job after that?

"Yes…" Quistis brushed some tears from her cheeks and tried her hardest to compose herself, "I want you…to give her a chance. Please, take care of her. Promise me you won't hurt her. I don't care what you have to do, but do whatever it takes to give her a chance. Change her appearance, her name, her identity. Just make sure the organization doesn't get a hold of her."

"Quistis…I can't." Squall muttered.

"Don't tell me that dammit! You can do anything. I know you can. There's no way the organization knows her _that_ well. Just please…get her away from the organization."

"Okay…just…quiet now. It'll all be okay." Squall took that shaking hand and placed it atop of his gunblade. It calmed instantly. The touch of a killer. This was what was natural, not love.

Quistis felt him grip his gunblade. She knew it was coming. But it was better that it be now than later, or else she'd regret it forever, "Sure you don't want to put a towel down first, you clean son of a bitch?"

Then there was a quick laugh…and then silence.


End file.
